


the portrait in the attic

by theXgypsyXking



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, F/F, Locked In, M/M, Multi, arin was completely isolated poor guy, artwork, barry and dan move, barry's fuckin lit, brian's the best dad, but it's scary, dan's the coolest? what a sweetheart, fake worlds?, holly's a queen. hands down, it's an awesome au, it's cute, it's rated t for language and slight sexual themes, ross is ross i guess, suzy's the best honestly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-01-05 21:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12197559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theXgypsyXking/pseuds/theXgypsyXking
Summary: when dan and barry move into a house in a small town, they expect nothing of it. that is, until they find a mysterious painting in their attic. when they do research, they find out it was done by arin hanson, an artist known for the fact that his paintings had a magic quality; they were so lifelike, it was scary. on an adventure to find out what happened to arin, dan and barry meet ross, an old friend of arin's, brian, an art critic, holly, a peach orchard owner and bird enthusiast, and suzy, a flower shop owner who's the only person willing to help. will they find arin, or is dan's timing too late?heya!! this AU was created by writergrump. they're an awesome writer, and they have an awesome tumblr!! go check them out!! anyway, i hope you enjoy the story. xo!!





	1. boxes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [writergrump](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writergrump/gifts).



> heya pals!! like i said before, this AU was created by writergrump, who's super awesome!! anyway, this first chapter is kind of lame because it introduces the plot, but it's definitely important, haha. okay, hope you enjoy!!

It was quiet.

A lot more quiet than the city, anyway. Los Angeles was filled with honking and swearing and the smattering of footsteps against the dirty pavement. There were hot dog carts or generic ice cream trucks at every corner. Instead, a small town on the outskirts of California, far from his other friends but closer to his family (he supposed not that much closer, they lived in Oregon) was peaceful, trees shooting up from the ground to cover the sky around the small house. The town seemed friendly, as a few neighbors had already introduced themselves.

The house was a dark, worn oak wood, with dirt from empty flowerpots scattered on the porch and the shingles on the roof stained by rain. There were five steps that lead to the porch, with a new, grey screen door that lead inside. There was another wooden door with a glass window behind the screen door, to keep out intruders and others of the sort. Large footsteps thumped against the steps, heavy breathing and aching arms trying to carry two boxes inside.

“Please, c'mon,” Dan begs the door, but no avail. Barry had probably shut it when he was emptying boxes. He looks at the door, desolate, willing it to open. “Just--let me,” he reaches for the doorknob, but one of the boxes fall, and Dan curses, because why’d the boxes with the dishes have to do the tumbling? He leans down to check the dishes, and thanks the heavens that Barry had remembered to wrap the plates in bubble wrap.

“What was that?” Said man asks, opening the door and looking at Dan amusedly. “The dishes,” Dan laughs, and Barry nudges Dan with his foot before holding the door open. “Thanks!” Dan calls, leaving Barry to pick up the box and carry it into the kitchen. As Dan sets the box down on the floor, he inhales deeply, cherishing the smell of new paint and musky wood.

“Smells nice?” Barry asks, carrying the dishes to the kitchen as the screen door slams behind him. “You bet,” Dan replies, looking around. He’d never really thought that he’d enjoy living in a rural area, but this tiny town was proving his mind wrong. It was quaint, and Dan didn’t remember the last time he heard birds chirping. “Was that the last of the boxes?” Barry asks, sitting down on the couch, an arm over his stomach. “Hell yeah,” Dan grins and offers his hand out to give Barry a high five. Barry half-heartedly slaps his hand and then yawns.

“I don’t want to move for the next three years at _least,_ ” he says quietly, and Dan nods, sitting down beside him. “Well, we’re basically halfway finished. We’ve already moved the furniture in, right? All we have to do is unpack our clothes and trinkets, and we’re done!” Barry rolls his eyes but smiles anyway. “I guess you’re right.” He rests his head on Dan’s shoulder, swinging his feet up onto the arm of the couch. “How about a five-minute nap first?” He offers, and Dan obliges by leaning back and closing his eyes.

A five-minute nap turns into a three-hour nap.

Dan’s awoken by Barry frantically shaking him awake. “Wha-what?” Dan says, rubbing his eyes blearily and yawning. “You said you wanted to go to the grocery today, right? Go now! It closes in an hour!” Barry says, and Dan’s scrambling to throw on his jacket and rush out the door until he realizes he doesn’t have the car keys. He opens the door and reflexively catches the keys. “Thanks!” He shouts, and he hears Barry reply with “no problem,” before he leaps into the car, driving off.

\+        +        +

When Dan’s gone down the road, Barry pulls the cord to the attic in the hallway, the ladder nearly hitting him in the head. He picks up a box filled with old books, ones that Dan used to have as a kid that his mother gave them. As he climbs up the ladder and switches on the light, he notices a medium size rectangle-shaped thing covered in a white sheet on the floor. Barry decides not to look further into it and places the box in the corner. It’s not his business, anyway. Maybe the realtor forgot it and would come back later?

He climbs back down, then back up again to switch off the light, and puts away the ladder. He doesn’t let the covered rectangle bother him. Instead, he unpacks the pots and pans, utensils and dishes. He mentally high-fives himself for wrapping the dishes in bubble wrap, after inspecting every dish out of the box Danny dropped. It takes more time than he thought it would, because just as he’s finishing up, Dan walks in, carrying four bags of groceries.

“I’m back!” he says in a sing-song voice, placing the groceries on the counter. He notices that there aren’t any boxes in the kitchen anymore. “Aw, Barry, thank you for unpacking,” Dan says, smiling at the bearded man. Barry smiles back. “Of course! I had to do something while you were shopping, yeah?” Dan nods brightly, poking his head and right arm outside to grab the gallon of water. They work around each other, putting food away until Dan finished folding the recycle-friendly bags.

They look at each other for a moment, before simultaneously saying, “pizza?” and then laughing. “Alrighty then. I’ll order, and you can start unpacking your clothes. You want pepperoni?” Barry asks, and Dan shrugs. “Whatever works. Call me if you need me!” he says, before taking off to his room. Barry nods, looking up “good local pizza places”. He chooses one and calls, walking down the hall to his own room.

Dan can hear Barry ordering the pizza from his bedroom, and smiles when he orders a Pepsi for him. He really was lucky to have Barry. He remembered when he’d found out that he was the first person Barry came out to (the bearded man identified as demisexual), and they’d been roommates for as long as he could remember. Some of his best memories were with Barry, now that he thought about it.

When the pizza arrives, Dan’s closet is halfway full, and he leaps up to answer the door. He greets the pizza man, who thankfully doesn’t have his dick in the pizza box, and he pays the man with a generous tip. The man thanks him with a big smile, and when he leaves, he hears Barry laughing behind him. “What?” he asks, as he puts the pizza box on the counter and grabs plates from a cabinet. “You’re so nice to everyone,” Barry replies, opening the drinks, and Dan thanks him for the Pepsi. “It’s no problem,” he says, and Dan grins. “O-kay,” the curly haired man says, sitting down on the couch. Barry sits beside him, stretching his legs. 

They eat in a comfortable silence because they have nothing to talk about. “Today was boring,” Dan comments, and Barry snorts. “It sure was,” he says back, biting into the leftover crust. “You find anything exciting?” Dan asks, and the white sheet covering the object comes to mind. Barry hesitates for a moment but shakes his head. “Sorry, man,” he says, picking up his and Dan’s plate. Dan shrugs, gulping down the rest of his Pepsi. “It’s okay. I’m gonna finish unpacking and then head to bed, okay?” The singer says, raising his arms over his head. “Same here,” Barry replies, “I’ll see you in the morning, alright?” Dan nods and smiles, giving Barry a light squeeze and then walking off to his room. Barry smiled. He was lucky to have a friend like Dan.

\+     +     +

The next morning, Dan shovels cereal into his mouth, ready for the day ahead. 

“Why are you so pumped to clean an attic?” Barry asks, eating cereal a little slower than his friend. “Because! It feels so nice to have something clean, right? Like, what’s better than a clean bathroom?” Barry can’t argue. “Okay,” he says, “but why do you like cleaning?” Dan giggles in response. “I don’t  _ like  _ cleaning, it’s just something that needs to be done. Like washing the dishes.” He says, picking up his empty cereal bowl. Barry rolls his eyes at Danny’s enthusiasm, but it’s quite infectious. Barry himself feels a little more excited.

Dan grabs two dusters from the hall closet and tosses one to Barry. Barry catches it right before it whacks him in the face. “Sorry,” Dan says, and Barry gives him a reassuring smile. “You’re all good,” he replies. Dan pulls at the attic cord, and Barry is just about to tell him to look about when the ladder comes crashing down. It narrowly misses Dan, who jumped to the side. “Whoa,” he says, staring at the ladder as if it was going to send him to his death. Barry laughs a little, before climbing up the ladder and into the attic. Dan follows suit, gazing around and inhaling the musky scent.

It doesn’t take Dan long to notice the medium sized rectangular object with the white sheet covering it. “I wonder what this is,” he murmurs, gaining Barry’s attention. He comes to join the singer, bending down to inspect the sheet. “I’m not sure,” Barry says slowly. “Do you think we should--?” Dan trails off, an eyebrow raised. Barry wavers his bottom lip between his teeth. “I’m not sure. What if the realtor comes back for it?” He asks. Dan looks down at the floor, then back up again. “But she said there wasn’t anything in the attic. Should we just take a look, to make sure it isn’t dangerous?” Barry nods hesitantly, and Dan stands up, pulling the sheet off with a flourish. 

What’s behind it isn’t exactly dangerous.

“Whoa,” Dan says, gazing at the painting with his eyes wide open. Barry’s breath feels like it’s been taken out of his lungs. “That’s fuckin’...” Dan leans down, running his fingertips over the frame of the painting. “It looks so real!” He exclaims, grinning. It’s a painting of a huge tree, branches shooting every which way. Its leaves are a nice, healthy green, and the sky is a pretty blue with wisps of clouds. It’s a grassy plain, with sunny yellow flowers. “That’s crazy,” Barry says. “I wonder who made it,” Dan ponders, “there’s no signature.” Barry looks around the canvas and sure enough, there is none. 

“We should hang it up,” Dan says, after they’ve looked at it for a good two minutes. “I mean, it looks gorgeous, and we need decor anyway. All we have is Lexius the houseplant.” Barry giggles at the mention of their beloved houseplant. “I guess so. Do we have nails?” He asks as he picks it up by the gold frame. “Uh, I think so,” Dan says, grabbing the other end and helping Barry lift it down the ladder. They manage to get it in the hallway, and Dan rummages around the hall closet for nails and a hammer while Barry looks for a good spot to hang it in the living room. Finally, Dan comes out of the closet triumphant and holds the painting in place while Barry nails the nails into the wall. They try to hang it, but it’s a tad lopsided, so Barry pulls the nail out of the wall and hangs the painting back up again. 

“It looks so cool!” Dan says, placing his hands on his hips. “It really does,” Barry laughs, and they high-five each other before venturing back to the task at hand: cleaning the attic.

Once they finished said task, they eat a late lunch and take another nap, this time in their respective bedrooms. Dan awakens to the smell of pasta sauce and smiles before getting up and rubbing his eyes. He pads to the kitchen, where Barry is putting pasta onto two plates and slides one over to Dan with a fork right after.

“Sweet! Thank you so much,” Dan says, inhaling the smell of fresh pasta sauce and then wrapping some around his fork. Barry smiles. “You’ve been saying thank you a lot. You’re welcome,” he replies, sitting down next to Dan and starting on his meal. “Heh, I know. I’m just glad we’re here. I feel like something crazy is in store for us and I don’t know why.” Dan says thoughtfully. “What, you think you’re finally gonna get a girlfriend?” Barry laughs, and Dan nudges him before laughing along. “Who knows?” he says, wistful, and Barry doesn’t press.

They go to sleep not long after, tired from change and a new routine. Dan isn’t sure why but he feels a big happy feeling in his chest, one that makes him grin as he drifts off. This is new, he thinks, that’s why you’re so excited. He cherishes the warm feeling in his chest, and finally heads off to sleep.

\+       +       +

Dan’s scream is what wakes Barry up.

Barry comes bolting down the hallway, frantically checking Dan’s room, and then speeding into the living room. “What? What’s wrong?” He says, looking at Dan, frightened. 

“It-it’s the painting,” Dan says, nervous, “was that man there before?” Barry looks at the painting to realize that there is a man in the artwork. “He wasn’t,” Barry says, voice driving up half an octave. 

“I mean, I’m a little freaked out but holy shit, he’s beautiful,” Dan says softly, gazing at the painting with wonder and astonishment. “You think he’s beautiful?” Barry asks, skeptical. “I know you don’t, but god, he’s gorgeous, Barry,” Dan says, and Barry can’t necessarily deny it. The man is stocky, with a little bit of pudge, and he has oak brown facial hair. The man’s hair, which is tied back, is slightly darker, with a dirty blonde streak running through it. He’s got soulful brown eyes and a small smile. “I wonder who he is,” Barry says, and Dan turns around, snapping his fingers. It’s hard to take your best friend seriously when he’s in blue bunny print pajamas, but Barry doesn’t deny him when he says,

“How about we find out?”

 


	2. wikipedia and twitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya pals! it's me, posting again. i was desperate to post because school starts again for me tomorrow (we had a couple days off HEEEEY) so i hope you like this chapter! ross is absolutely my favorite character to write, solely because of how absurd he can be at times. i'll probably be posting the next chapter in the next three days!! stay tuned loves!!

Barry and Dan wait for about a week to investigate.

They supposed it was definitely plausible that the man could have always been there, and they were so in awe of how lifelike it was that they never noticed, but after a couple of days seeing the man appear and disappear, they knew that this hypothesis was wrong. 

“So, what do we do?” Dan asks, gazing at the painting from the gray couch. Barry sits on the arm of the couch, his eyes also trained on the piece of artwork. The bearded man then shrugs. “You’re sure there wasn’t a signature, right?” Barry asks, lifting himself off of the couch to take a closer look. Dan nods, realizes Barry isn’t looking at him and instead makes an affirmative noise. 

“I wonder why he never signed it,” Dan ponders. Barry shrugs. “Maybe he let other artists take credit. Or maybe he just kept them for his own personal use,” he says, eyes tracing the outline. 

“Maybe we could check on the back?” Dan questions, looking at Barry for confirmation. The said man pauses and then lifts the painting off of the nails. Dan gets up and helps Barry lift it, placing it face down on the hardwood floor. 

“I have to admit, the frame is gorgeous,” Barry laughs, his large fingertips gracefully tracing the edge of the picture. “You got that right,” Dan giggles, his brown eyes searching around the back.

“What’s this?” he says, looking at the bottom left corner. In the very edge, tucked away, is a neatly written signature. “Nice eyes,” Barry says, crawling over next to Dan to take a look. “Heh, thanks,” Dan replies and squints to try and make out the name. 

“It looks like a really weird spelling of Aaron,” Dan says slowly, “and the last name looks like Hanson.” Barry squints as well and then nods. “It seems like it’s spelled A-R-I-N,” he comments, and they look at each other before Dan reaches for his phone.

“Do you think he’s famous?” Dan wonders as he looks the name up. “Perhaps,” Barry says softly. Either way, he was confused as to why this “Arin Hanson” hadn’t sold his painting. It looked like it could go for tens of thousands of dollars. 

“Aha!” Dan exclaims, and Barry jumps. They both laugh a little, before leaning in to read the description. “Arin Hanson,” Danny reads aloud, “Born on January 6th, yadda yadda yadda… here we go!” he grins, pulling up the full wiki page. “It says here that his paintings were ‘so lifelike it was scary’ and they were ‘considered magical’,” Dan says in awe. 

“I mean, I can’t argue, his paintings are beautiful,” Barry says. Dan nods vigorously, and Barry can’t help but giggle at his friend's enthusiasm. “Does the wiki page have any more of his art?” the bearded man asks, peeking over Danny’s shoulder. “Uh,” Dan pauses for a moment before clicking on his phone. “Oh, holy shit, Barry, look at this,” Dan says, his voice laced with astonishment. Barry stares at the picture for a solid minute.

It was a beautiful painting of a woman, with long black hair and a blonde streak in her hair. She had on flawless eyeliner and stunning blue eyes, darker than Barry’s but still sparkling nonetheless. She stood in front of a winding pathway which was dusted with pink flowers, and she held one in her hand. She had on a pretty knee length dress, a baby blue one with white flowers sprinkling the bottom with green stems. There was a tiny town in the background, smoke puffing out of chimneys and into the dusk sky. 

“That can’t be not real,” Dan says, mouth agape. “Do you think it’s his wife?” Barry stares at it a moment. “Nah,” he replies, “more like his daughter. Unless they have matching blonde streaks?” Dan giggles at this. “Who knows, man.” 

He clicks out of Wikipedia and takes a browse on a couple other informational websites when he comes across a twitter. “Do you think this guy has anything to do with Arin?” Dan asks, showing the Twitter profile to Barry. The guy’s name is Ross O’Donovan, and he has a generic twitter bio: apparently, he’s an Australian animator, who lives in LA. 

“Maybe,” Barry says, “you never know. An animator and an artist could be friends.” Dan nods. “Do you think I should call him? I mean, he has his phone number in his bio.” To this, Barry thinks for a moment. “You’re doing a lot of pausing,” Dan giggles, and Barry pressing his lips together. “I mean, this could be dangerous. What if Arin’s a criminal? And he fled the country?” Dan full-on laughs at this but stops when he realizes Barry isn’t laughing with him.

“Okay, let’s make a deal,” Barry hums the let’s make a deal theme, to which Dan stops his sentence by laughing again. “If Arin has done anything sketchy, we’ll stop and just keep the magic painting. Okay?” Dan offers. Barry nods. “Fine. Please let Arin be a criminal.” Dan nudges his shoulder, and Barry laughs. 

“I’m gonna call him,” Dan then says, and clicks the number, which is highlighted in blue. The pop-up comes up, and Dan clicks call without hesitation. “Whoa there, cowboy,” Barry says, and Dan grins. The phone rings once, and then twice before someone picks up.

“Hello?” The accent clearly isn’t American, and it’s slightly hesitant, probably due to the fact that Dan actually has a New Jersey number. He never bothered to switch to a California one when he moved.

“Uh, hi there,” Dan says cautiously. “I’m sorry, do I know you?” The man asks, and he sounds like he’s shuffling papers. “No. My name’s Dan, Dan Avidan, and I was wondering if you knew anything about a man named Arin Hanson. 

The phone on the other line clatters to the floor.

\+   +   +

“Who the hell are you?” The man asks, voice loud and borderline frantic. “I--I told you! My name’s Dan Avidan, and I think I have a painting of his.” Dan hears the man start pacing. “What does the painting look like?” he asks, voice now shaky. Dan doesn’t understand why, but his own voice switches to a more calming demeanor. 

“It’s a beautiful picture,” the man laughs at this, “it’s a painting of a large tree, with a field, or like a valley in the background. It has tons of tiny yellow flowers, and the sky is blue with wisps of clouds.” The man goes silent. 

“I’m Ross. Ross O’Donovan,” he says suddenly. “I--I was friends with Arin, and, well,” he pauses for a moment, “where do you live?” Dan’s slightly taken aback, and Barry gives him a questioning look. “Uh, I don’t feel comfortable giving you that information?” Ross sighs, sounding exasperated. “Right, sorry. I’m just kind of freaking out. Sorry I asked you that.” Dan is quick to apologize. “I live in a tiny town in Cali, called Sausalito.” Ross sucks in a breath.

“Can I meet you at a coffee shop there?” he asks. Dan makes an affirmative hum. “Where at?” “It’s a cute little place, on the corner of First and Berkeley. You know where that is, right?” Dan laughs, and he can almost hear Ross smile over the phone.

“I just moved here, like, two days ago. But I can look it up.” Dan replies, smiling. Ross has a warm, breathy laugh. The kind that belongs to a person Dan likes already. 

“Sounds good. Does tomorrow at three work? I’m kind of busy today. Sorry.” Ross says. “For sure! I actually have someone living with me. Can he come too?” “Of course! He’s definitely welcome.” Dan grins. “Awesome! Thank you so much. I’ve been wondering about this painting all night, haha.” Ross smiles again. “Goodbye, Dan. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And he hangs up.

“What was that all about?” Barry asks, leaning against the coffee table as Dan puts his phone into his pocket. “Apparently Ross  _ was  _ a friend of Arin’s. He didn’t really evaluate, but we’re going to meet him for coffee tomorrow at three. Is that okay?” Dan asks. Barry nods. “I’m off for a week at work, so I’m free until next tuesday.” “Sweet!” Dan exclaims, fist pumping. Barry laughs.

 +   +   +

 

Dan’s uncontrollably tapping the steering wheel as he drives to the coffee shop. Barry’s sitting in the navigator’s seat, taking in each street of the small town. “What do you think the population size of this place is?” Barry ponders, making Dan’s fingers still. “Uh, I think around seven thousand?” they both laugh. “It really is a small town, isn’t it?” Dan nods, turning on his blinker.

He parks the car slowly, taking a shaky breath. “Are you nervous?” Barry asks. Dan shrugs, but averts his gaze from Barry’s. “It’s just,” he pauses, and then shakes his head. “You’re gonna think it’s stupid.” Barry furrows his eyebrows. “I don’t think anything you say is stupid. Unless it’s about dick piñatas. Then it’s stupid.” Danny giggles.

“I feel like this weird connection to the painting and I don’t know why. It’s like a pull toward it?” Dan says softly, and Barry looks down. “Maybe you just like it a lot?” he offers, and Dan nods before getting out of the car. Barry feels a bit of concern in his chest, but drops the subject when they start walking.

They enter the coffee shop, the interior cool compared to the sweltering heat outside. The bell chimes, and they attract the attention of a few customers before they turn back to their coffee. Dan gazes around the room before his eyes land on a skinny guy, with sandy, light brown hair and crystal blue eyes. Him and Barry walk over, and Dan smiles softly. “Hi there! Are you Ross?” he asks, and the man nods, a tiny smile quirking his mouth. For some reason, Ross looks exactly like what Dan imagined him to. Short, but not too short, and skinny, but not too skinny. 

“I’m guessing you’re Dan?” Ross asks, and Dan nods. “This is Barry,” the curly haired man says, gesturing to his roommate. “Hi.” Ross says, offering him a handshake and a small smile. Barry smiles back, and shakes his hand as some sort of peace offering. 

“Thank you for calling,” Ross says quietly, as Dan and Barry get themselves situated. “Of course,” Dan says, “we really wanted to know who drew those paintings. They look like photographs!” Ross laughs softly. “They sure do.” He trails off, not meeting either of their gazes. “Are you alright?” Barry asks quietly, and Ross looks at him like a deer caught in headlights. Barry doesn’t know why, but his heartbeat accelerates. “Yeah, I’m--I’m good,” Ross says, taking a deep breath. “I haven’t talked about Arin in so long,” he chuckles.

“Really?” Dan asks. Ross nods. “I guess the wikipedia page didn’t tell you, huh?” Dan’s hopes plummet into his stomach.    
  


“Arin’s been missing for a year.” 


	3. coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya pals!! first things first, i'd like to thank game grumps wiki for providing me some lovely information about barry and ross. second, i hope you enjoy this lovely chapter!! i worked pretty hard on it, and it's longer than the other two, so enjoy!!

“Seriously?” Dan asks, bewildered, and Ross nods gently. “Yeah. It’s the worst, you know? Not knowing what happened to someone you were really close to.” he lets out a sad laugh, and Dan reaches over and squeezes his hand. “You lost more than Arin, didn’t you?” he says quietly, and Ross laughs.

“You’re good at reading people, aren’t you?” he says, grinning. Barry rolls his eyes. “Trust me, he doesn’t know when to stop,” he chimes, and all three of them laugh. “But, uh, seriously,” Ross says, pulling his hand away from the table to mess with his watch, “there was a girl named Holly.”

Dan nods, the picture clicking. “We dated for a really long time, about four years, and I was going to propose to her. Then, one night, she sat me down and told me that she thought she was asexual. I was fucking obliterated, but of course, I didn’t say anything. When you’re in love with someone, but also best friends with someone, you always support them, no matter how much it hurts. She said she really didn’t know if she was ace, but she still loved me. Differently, sure, but still loved me. We still hung out, still played with her birds, but I didn’t get to kiss her anymore. I, uh, got used to it over time, and she said she was super grateful for everything. We were still on good terms when she went missing.” Ross’s voice gets progressively more choked up. “I miss them both so much,” he says softly, eyes locked on the wooden table.

Dan takes a deep breath and lets it go quietly. “That sucks,” he says, and Ross giggles. “I’m serious! It does,” he insists, waggling a finger, “but we can at least try to find them, or find out what happened to them.” Ross pauses and then nods. “I guess you’re right.” he smiles. “So,” he begins, “what do you want to know about Arin?”

  * \+   +



“Where did Arin live?” Dan questions first, biting the skin on his lip. “He lived here,” Ross says quickly, “and that’s why I asked for your address on the phone. It could be he lived in your house,” he says. Dan sucks in a breath. “223 Brethden Street,” he says, and Ross’s eyes widen. 

“Okay then,” he says loudly, and Dan and Barry laugh. “So, he lived in your house before he disappeared. Back then, Holly and I used to live here too; I left after they disappeared. I couldn’t handle it, you know?” he says, and Barry nods. “The day Holly and Arin disappeared, I went over to Arin’s place to have lunch. We’d broken up then, but like I said, we were still on good terms. She’d gone after when Arin had asked to see her birds, because he wanted to make a painting with, well, birds. When I’d gone over, the door was unlocked, so I just walked in. I looked everywhere for them, even outside. I yelled their names so many times my throat was sore. All that was left was a painting of a huge tree, in a field with yellow flowers and wisps of clouds. It was signed on the back, at the very bottom.” Ross’s voice was shaking, eyes glassy with tears, and Dan felt horrible.

“If you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to,” Barry beats him to it, looking at the Australian with concerned eyes. “It’s--it’s fine. If they are really gone, this’ll get me over Arin and Holly. I need this.” he says, inhaling heavily. Dan looks down, then at Barry (who meets his gaze) and then back at Ross. “Okay,” he says, tone wary, and Ross laughs, voice watery. “What else?”

  
“Did you do anything, besides look for them?” Dan asks. Ross nods quickly. “I did all I could. At the time, I wasn’t making much money and I’m still not, so I couldn’t afford legal services. The police and any lawyer I could find refused to do anything because I was fucking broke. That was the worst part,” he says, looking out the window, “knowing something was wrong, that they could be dead and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

“And then,” he laughs, really hard, and stares at Dan like he’s crazy. “Are you alright?” Dan asks, a little freaked out, and Ross shakes his head. “This is fucking nuts,” he says. “I--I was looking through Arin’s house, you know, to see if there was anything they’d left behind to help me find them and I saw  _ you _ .” Dan and Barry both look taken aback. “What do you mean?” Dan asks, skeptical. “Just--there was this sketch of a man, with huge curly hair and soft eyes and a bit of scruff and he looked just like you,” Ross says, fingers tapping against the table.

“Are you joking?” Barry asks, because after all, they met this guy thirty minutes ago. “No!” Ross exclaims, and Barry jumps back a little, making Ross apologize quickly. “It’s fine,” he says, and Ross presses his mouth together before apologizing again. “I don’t understand,” Dan says quietly, “why me?”

  
Ross smiles wryly. “Do you think he knew?” he asks, and Dan laughs. “Who knows? At this rate, anything goes.” All three chuckle, before the laughter dies out and they’re left with nervous silence. Finally, Dan speaks up. “How about you stay with us? Just for a couple of days, so you can see the painting too, and the man that keeps appearing and disappearing.”  
“Wait, what?” Ross says quickly, and Dan backtracks. “I didn’t tell you? There’s this man, and he keeps appearing and disappearing in the painting. He has, like, brown hair with a blonde streak and big brown eyes.” Ross freezes up. “That’s--that’s Arin,” he says, bewildered. “What the fuck?” he says, quieter, his blue eyes blown wide and face pale. “I don’t know,” Dan says and reaches over to touch Ross’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” he asks, and all of the sudden, Ross starts crying.

“Thank you,” the Australian says softly, through the tears leaking onto his cheeks. “Thank you so much, Dan. Thank you too, Barry,” he repeats, voice hushed, tears fast and voice unsteady. “I guess I’ll get my things? I have a bag in my car, for occasions like this,” he says, and Dan nods. “You know my address. We’ll meet you there?” he says gently, and Ross blows his nose with a tissue. “Yeah.” 

  * \+   +



They arrive home, Dan and Barry slightly earlier than Ross. 

“Are you sure about this?” Barry asks cautiously. He knows Dan and the man’s caring nature, but this, he thinks, is going a little too far. “I mean, we just met him. You don’t know what he can do,” he says, raising his eyebrows.

Dan breathes in, unlocking the door. “I don’t know, but I have this feeling he means well. He said he was best friends with Arin. He cried, Barry. I don’t know what else to do.” Dan’s eyes are pleading, and Barry caves. “Fine,” he says, “but I don’t trust him.” Dan laughs. “I know you don’t.”

Just then, they hear a firm knock on the door. “Come in!” Dan chimes and Ross walks in, duffel bag in hand. “Hey,” he says, taking off his shoes and putting them by the door neatly. Dan gives Barry a sideways look, and the editor rolls his eyes. He then sits down on the couch, putting his bag to the side, and smiles at the two of them.

“So, this is the painting, huh?” Ross asks, gazing at the artwork fondly. “I missed looking at it,” he laughs, and Dan grins, standing beside him. “Is that man Arin?” he asks, voice hopeful, and Ross nods. “It’s so surreal, to see him again,” he murmurs, and he exhales loudly through his nose. “Thank you again,” he says, and Dan smiles again.

“Really, it’s no problem. Barry and I don’t mind.” The said man looks up from his phone and gives the two a tiny smile before returning to whatever he was doing. “I’ll sleep on the couch and--” Dan is interrupted by Ross giving him a look. “What?” he says, and the Australian laughs. “Are you kidding? You didn’t even know I was staying until fifteen minutes ago. I’ll sleep on the couch. Plus, I want to see the painting anyway, right?” he says, and smiles smugly when Dan is at a loss for words.

“He’s got you there,” Barry chimes, and Dan flattens his mouth. “Shut up,” he says, and Barry laughs. “C’mon,” Ross says, and Dan gives in. “Fine. We’ve got some blankets in the closet if you need any,” he says, and Ross thanks him again. “Please, please,” Dan waves it off, face flushing, “it’s the least I could do. We’re all in this together, right?” he says, and Barry starts to hum the catchy  _ High School Musical  _ song. They all laugh and then carry on the conversation until the evening. 

  * \+   +



After two days out of the agreed three pass, Ross is fully convinced that Arin (the one in the painting) has been appearing and disappearing overnight. 

“It’s so weird,” Dan comments, as he prepares to go to bed. “Aw man, you have to leave tomorrow. Bummer,” he then says, and Ross laughs. “Thanks. You know, I feel closer to you after a couple of days. But Barry,” he trails off, looking away. “Does he hate me?”

Dan giggles. “Nah,” he replies, “it just takes him a while to warm up to people. He’s like that in a lot of ways, if you catch my drift,” Ross laughs knowingly and lays down on the couch. “Well, good night,” he says, and Dan waves before padding down the hall. 

Ross frowns at the couch cushions. He’d always been one for people liking him, and he didn’t understand why Barry didn’t. Was it something he said? Then, something clicked in his mind, and he mentally smacked himself.  _ He probably thinks I want to date Dan!  _ he thinks and shakes his head. Hopefully, in the morning, he could clear that up. He was really happy for them! He smacked himself again, before letting himself drift off.

A couple hours later, he wakes up, throat dry. He coughs a little, groping around for a glass of water, before realizing he hadn’t gotten it before he’d gone to bed. He groans, getting up, and notices someone is humming in the kitchen.

“Hello?” he calls out, quiet, and Barry turns around, blue eyes wide before relaxing. “Oh, it’s you,” he says, leaning against the counter, “I got scared for a second.” Ross laughs quietly. “I know the feeling,” he says, walking around Barry to get a glass of water. He notices the pot. “Making tea?” he questions, and Barry shakes his head. “Hot chocolate,” he corrects, and Ross gasps. “Can I have some?” he asks, and Barry smiles softly. “For sure,” and he takes the pot off the burner to get more water.

They stand in silence for a bit, waiting for the water to boil before the air turns from quiet to awkward. Then, Ross decides to break the ice in the worst way, “do you hate me?” 

Barry looks taken aback. “I don’t think I’m capable of hating anyone,” he says, “why do you say that?” Ross shrugs, face flushing. “I just don’t want you to think I’m trying to take Dan from you. I totally understand that you guys are in a committed relationship, and I don’t want to do anything--” Barry interrupts him, now confused. “What are you talking about?” he says, and Ross goes quiet. 

“I--you and Dan are dating, right?” he says cautiously, and Barry starts laughing. “You thought Dan and I were--together?” he gets out, trying to stifle the giggles and Ross thinks it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. “I mean, yeah,” he says, embarrassed, “you guys  _ do  _ live together.” Barry nods, still smiling. “That’s true,” he replies, checking the water. 

“Almost?” Ross asks, and Barry nods. “I just don’t know you that well,” Barry says, “and I’m kind of wary of you.” Ross raises an eyebrow and smiles at Barry gently, making the other’s heart beat a little too fast for his liking. “Well, let’s get to know each other, then. My name’s Ross O’Donovan, and I have no interest in any sports,” Barry giggles, “I’m from Australia, and an animator,” “Already knew that,” Barry says, eyebrows raised and mouth quirked, “I also have zero dignity and no filter,” he moves slightly closer to Barry, prompting the editor to move backwards and hit his back against the counter, “I dislike horror games, and I really like the taste of tomatoes coated in butter,” Barry giggles again and says, “What the hell, Ross?” The animator laughs, eyes bright. “I also don’t have a gag reflex,” he finishes, and Barry gazes at him, amused and yet slightly impressed. 

“Wow,” he says, “you know a lot about yourself.” Ross laughs, and Barry hates how butterflies erupt in his stomach at the sound. “Okay, my turn,” he says. “I studied abroad in China, my favorite color is purple, I really like unicorns, I also don’t like horror games and my favorite food is chicken parmigiana.” Ross giggles. “That is some very interesting information, Mr. Barry,” he grins. “Now, I know you a little better,” he says softly, and Barry feels himself move unconsciously closer. “Same here,” he says quietly, and Ross feels his heart pound. “You have really nice--” he’s interrupted by the water hissing against the burner, and Barry squeaks as he scrambles to take the pot off.

Barry grabs the mugs and Ross grabs the cocoa off of the counter, both of them working efficiently around each other. They end up with warm mugs of hot chocolate, sitting down at the dining table in the dark and drinking quietly. 

“You know, you aren’t that bad,” Barry says, and he hears Ross smile. “I’m glad you think so. You’re awesome, Barry.” he says, and Barry feels his cheeks heat up. “That’s sweet,” Barry murmurs, drinking the cocoa quickly, wanting to escape this crazy, suffocating warm feeling that won’t leave his chest. “I only tell the truth,” Ross says, laughing softly, and he takes both of their mugs and puts them in the sink.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Barry says quietly, and Ross takes his hand, gently squeezing it and then letting go. “Okay,” he says, and they both return to sleep feeling a little more happy than they thought.

  * \+   +



The next morning, while all three boys are still in their pajamas and eating breakfast at the dining table, Ross speaks up.

“I have a theory,” he says, and Dan and Barry tune in. 

“What if Arin’s paintings did something to him?”


	4. pathways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya pals!! sorry i haven't been updating recently, school has been super lame and i've had tons of homework?? it looks like i'm going to be updating every sunday, so look out for that!! have an awesome day!! xo!!

Dan and Barry stare at him, and Ross raises his eyebrows. “What? Do you have another solution?” 

Barry nods vigorously. “We have something a little more plausible,” he says, and Ross crosses his arms. “And what’s that?” Barry opens his mouth and pauses. “He could’ve run away.”

“What happened to Holly, then? Did she run away with him?” Ross had a small bite in his voice that made Barry back off a little. “I guess you’re right,” he murmurs, and then looks up, blue eyes bright. “What if he and Holly were taken against their will?”

Dan frowns. “Wouldn’t there be evidence, then? Like, tables or chairs knocked over if they struggled?” Barry exhales heavily. “I suppose so,” he says defeatedly. He sits down on the couch, and Ross sits down next to him.

“My theory isn’t that crazy anymore, is it?” he grins, and Barry laughs. “You win. But how? They’re pieces of art.” All three fall into a silence before Dan speaks up. “What if they killed him?” Dan then laughs at his idea, prompting the other two to do so as well. 

“How would that even be possible?” Barry giggles. “Like, they came to life or some shit, and they were like, ‘our life sucks! Now yours will!’” They all crack up before Ross goes silent.

“What is it?” Dan asks, taking notice of the Australian’s solemn look. “It’s just,” he says, getting up to face the painting. “He said he wanted to create an entire world with his paintings. What if they came to life and did take him?”  
Dan and Barry give him looks again, and he laughs nervously. “I’m being serious. Just look at this, you know?” he says, his adam's apple bobbing as he swallows. 

Dan gets up and stands next to Ross, eyebrows furrowed and lips tight. “I can’t agree with you, but I can, too,” he says, reaching out to let his fingertips trace the canvas. 

He jumps back in fright when his nails go through the painting.

“What the hell?” He nearly shouts, and this time Ross and Barry give him a weird look. “What is it?” The bearded man asks, getting up from the couch and looking at him. “You didn’t see that?” he says, voice loud and shaky. 

“Look,” he says, quieter, and lets his fingertips dip into the painting of oil and canvas. “Holy shit,” Ross says, staring at the place where Dan’s fingers have gone through the painting.

“I think you were right,” Barry near-whispers, staring as well. Dan cautiously reaches his hand farther into the painting, and it greedily accepts it. His arm, now elbow-deep in the painting, doesn’t feel exactly  _ anything.  _ It feels a little warm, like a sun is beating down on it, with a light breeze brushing it every few moments. 

“Should I go inside?” Dan asks quietly, curling and uncurling his fingers. “Go for it,” Ross says, still in shock. “Are you sure?” Dan asks again, taking his hand back and inspecting it. 

“If you don’t return within the next hour, we’ll go after you. We promise,” Barry says, holding his hand out, pinky upright. Dan links pinkies with him, brown eyes dotted with nervousness and excitement. “This is what you want to do, right?” Ross smiles, “Go on an adventure, okay? Just stay safe.”  
Dan nods, and inhales. “We’ll be right here,” they say in sync, and then they look at each other and laugh. Dan smiles, too, and then gently pushes himself through the painting.

 

\+   +

 

He tumbles into soft grass.

The world is hushed and calm. The only sound is the nice breeze and the chirping of birds. He pushes his curls out of his face, taking in his surroundings.

It looks nearly real, but if you look close enough, you can see the even brushstrokes of the sky, and the mixed color of the trees, and the careful lines of the grass.

Clouds dot the sky, floating peacefully overhead, and he feels extremely calm.

He spots a winding path, beaten gently from footsteps of, perhaps, other people. Maybe other people like Holly.

He brushes his pant legs as he walks, taking in the pretty flowers. He noticed they were pink, the pink that the woman with the beautiful eyeliner had in her hair. He hums gently to himself, picking up speed. The breeze feels awfully nice in his hair, the sun warm but not hot. 

In the distance he can see a small village, painted in soft browns and dark oak. The windows are big and inviting, and he can see what looks like an orchard in the background. Mountains rise high on the horizon, and Dan wants to cry.

As he strolls along the winding path, he sees a girl, maybe nineteen, sitting in the yellow and green grass. He breaks the path to go over to her, to see if she knows anything about the village. She takes notice of him, and her mouth goes flat.

“Hello!” Dan says cheerfully, and she looks down. “Hello,” she says quietly, short brown hair fluttering in the wind. “What’s your name?” he asks, smiling gently, and she responds with a faint smile. “Emily. I was created 4 years ago,” she says, getting up. Her skirt was long, to her knees but it blew up to her thighs when a breeze came by.

“I’m Dan Avidan,” he says, and her mouth goes flat. “You are not wanted here, Dan Avidan, no matter how nice you are.” She says, tucking a lock of chocolate hair behind her ear. “What do you mean?” he asks, gently tugging on her wrist when she starts to leave.

“You are looking for  _ him, _ ” she says, looking around nervously, “our creator.” Dan nods brightly. “I am!” he says. “Can you tell me where he is?” She shakes her head and pulls her wrist away. “We do not want you, knight.” She murmurs, and runs as fast she can to the village, hair flying behind her.

Dan frowns, mouth quirked. “Well then,” he says, and heads back to the real world, where Ross and Barry wait.

 

\+   +

 

Dan trips when he returns.

“Ow,” he whines, getting up and sitting on his butt. Ross and Barry come up from their conversation on the couch to sliding across the hardwood floor to greet him. The two sit down next to the songwriter, eyes worried and curious.

“What happened?” Barry asks, and Dan exhales. “Not much,” he says, and they all laugh. “It’s beautiful there. The sun was warm, there was a nice breeze. I saw the pink flowers in the painting with the woman,” Dan points out, and Barry nods. “Wait,” Ross interrupts, “Sorry, but was it the one with the woman who had black hair and a blonde streak?” Dan nods. “Oh wow,” he says softly. 

“There was a path, which I followed, clearly. There was also a village and what looked with an orchard. There were huge mountains in the background. Finally, I saw this girl with brown hair and a purple skirt sitting in the grass. I asked her name, which was Emily, and she said she was created four years ago. When I said my name, she told me I wasn’t wanted there and she also called me a knight.”

“Hold up,” Ross says, snapping his fingers, “she called you a knight?” Dan nods. “At least, I think she did. She said, ‘We do not want you, knight’, and she left.” Ross makes a noncommittal noise.

“You  _ were  _ the last thing he drew,” he murmurs, “perhaps he wanted someone like you to save him?” Dan shrugs. “She could’ve definitely been nicer,” he giggles, and Barry grins. 

“Do you think he’s trapped in there someplace?” Barry then asks, playing with the hem of his shirt. “For sure,” Dan says, “if I really am his savior or whatever, they were acting really cautious about him. You’d think they’d want him to be free, you know?” He says, and the other two nod.

“Did you see any signs of Holly?” Ross asks, eyes hopeful. Dan shakes his head. “Sorry, man,” he says, “though it’s possible that she’s there, too.” Ross looks down, biting his lip.

“I know a guy,” he begins, “his name’s Brian Wecht. He’s an art critic that was a big fan of Arin’s work. I think I might still have his number? He could know something.” Dan smiles and nods, while Barry looks away. 

“Do you think we’ll all have to go inside the painting?” he asks gently, and the other two look at him. “Maybe,” Ross says, just as quiet, and the bearded man leans against the wall of the house, exhaling. 

“Brian could help,” he says finally, and Ross grins at him. Barry, once again, hates how he feels like he’s melting when Ross smiles at him.  _ Ross is in love with Holly,  _ he reprimands himself,  _ so shut the fuck up. _

“Alrighty,” Ross says, taking his phone out of his pocket, “let’s do this."

\+   +

Brian stares at Dan’s hand halfway through the painting.

“Well, it’s not something a normal painting would do. You said you could go through the whole thing?” Dan nods. “There was a village, and people you could talk to. It was thriving, really.” Brian nods, staring at the painting. “And there’s a man who looks a lot like Arin that keeps appearing and disappearing,” he says, eyebrows raised. This time, Ross nods.

“When we hung up the painting, there wasn’t anyone in it, and then the next day, he was there,” Barry says. Brian makes a committal noise and nods. “Well,” he says, “I have no fucking idea.”  
“Maybe we could go inside, and ask some of the townsfolk,” the art critic says, “but that’s about it. Until we get solid information about Arin’s location, I can’t do anything more.” 

Ross breathes out, hard, scaring the hair out of his eyes. “Sound good?” he asks Dan and Barry, and the bearded man holds out his hand for a high-five. Ross grins and slaps Barry’s hand before Dan grins brightly. 

“Sounds good.” 


	5. flowers n crushes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyo!! i was so close to almost not being able to update tonight, but i got it finished in time. it was my favorite chapter to write so far!! i also snuck in a jon cameo, so try and spot that. i hope you like it, and i'll see you next sunday!!

Ross picks at the potato chips on the dining table, deciding to toss another one into his mouth before Brian glares at him. “Can you not chew so loud?” he asks, a small smile tugging at his mouth, and an eyebrow raised. “Sorry,” the Australian says, deadpan, and grinding his jaw a little harder.

“Anyway,” Brian says pointedly, “how far did you walk until you found the village?” Dan taps his fingers for a moment, looking upwards and then back at the art critic. “I’d say about a quarter of a mile,” he says, and Brian twitches his mouth before quickly scribbling a chicken-scratch note in an empty book. “Okay. Did the people seem hostile?”

  
Dan immediately shakes his head. “Of course not! She seemed just a bit…” he trails off before his eyes light up and he snaps his fingers, “apprehensive! And I don’t blame her,” he says, and Barry nudges his shoulder. “You wouldn’t call someone hostile for a hundred dollars,” he says, and Dan grins bashfully.

“Did you meet anyone else?” Brian asks, and Dan hums a no. Brian looks down at his notes before setting them aside and eating a chip from the bowl. “Well,” he says, looking at the notes again, “I really don’t know what to tell you. Are you comfortable with possibly going back, and meeting more people? I’m interested in this whole thing,” he says, smiling, and Dan grins back, ten times brighter. “Of course! I don’t really want to go alone, though,” he says, shrugging a shoulder.

“I totally understand that,” Brian replies, “but I want to stay here, just to make sure things don’t change here when you go inside that world,” he laughs nervously, but the four of them know that at this point, anything is possible.

“I’ll go,” Ross offers, and Brian laughs again. “I’m sure you will,” he says, and then looks at Barry. “Will you be going as well?” The bearded man looks down at his fingernails, which he’d recently started biting. A few of them were bloody, and he forces himself to look back up. “I guess so,” he murmurs, and notices Ross and Dan are both giving him looks.

Dan opens his mouth to speak, but Ross beats him to it. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” he says quickly, smiling gently. “I know,” Barry says, a small bite in his voice, “I just--this is happening really fast, okay? I didn’t think I’d be going to another world a week ago,” he says, frowning, and Ross pulls back. “Sorry,” the Australian says, pressing his mouth together and then eating another chip. Barry goes to apologize, to reach out and touch Ross’s arm, but decides against it and just reprimands himself again.=

“I’ll do it,” he says firmly, lightly connecting his fist with his open hand. Ross then smiles brightly at him, and he smiles back, and then Dan, once again, grins five times brighter. “Yay! We’re all doing this together!” he laughs, and the other three smile back at him.

\+   +

“So,” Dan says, rummaging through kitchen drawers, “Brian will chill out in the living room to make sure nothing bad is happening in the painting or in the real world,” he then picks up a flashlight and tosses it to Barry, who catches it effortlessly. “Nice catch!” Dan comments, and Barry grins. “Thanks.”

“Then, Barry, Ross and I will all go inside the painting and try to find more evidence,” Dan says, then throwing batteries to Barry as well, and then fishing out fifty dollars from his wallet. “Ross, are you good at making peanut butter sandwiches?” Dan asks, and Ross laughs. “I’d like to think so,” he replied, walking over to the fridge and pulling out the grape jam. “Awesome!” Dan smiles and cracks his knuckles. “Are you ready to make sandwiches in bulk?”

  
“My hands hurt,” Ross complains, the once full jelly jar now only half filled. Barry curls his fingers and gives them a disturbed look as all of them crack. Dan giggles apologetically, sealing the twelfth PB&J in a plastic baggy and then tossing to Brian, which stuffs it into a backpack, where the flashlight and extra batteries also reside. Barry screws the cap back on the peanut butter and reaches for the jelly, before putting them back into the fridge and putting the butter knives into the sink.

“We should probably leave tomorrow,” Danny says, looking at the clock on the microwave and realizing it was already 5 pm. “I guess so,” Brian says, picking up his car keys and sunglasses. “Well, it was lovely meeting you, Danny and Brian,” he says, and grins at Ross, “good to see you too, kiddo,” he finishes and closes the door silently.

“Well,” Barry says, crashing onto the couch and placing the backpack beside him onto the floor, “today was interesting.” Dan laughs and sits on one side of him, while Ross sits on the other. “Sure was,” Dan replies, situating himself on Ross’s pillow, to which the Australian shoves him lightly over Barry. “I’m actually kind of excited,” the bearded man says, smiling, and the other two smile back at him. “Awesome! I’ve been, like, kind of craving adventure. This is just what I needed,” Ross says, and Dan grins. “I’m glad you two feel that way! I’m excited, too, but also kind of nervous. It makes me feel a little better that Brian’s watching over us, but,” Dan trails off, the other two getting the message. “I’m pretty sure we’ll be fine,” Ross says softly, and the other two nod, before they all go to their separate bedrooms to contemplate the future.

\+   +

Dan situates the backpack on himself while Barry and Brian exchange phone numbers and Ross dries off his hair. The Australian had taken a quick shower, claiming “he needed to feel fresh every morning”. Dan had just laughed and shoved him into the bathroom. “Okay,” Barry says, placing Brian’s contact info in his phone and smiling at the art critic. Brian smiles back, sliding his own phone in his pocket.

“Do you boys have everything?” Brian asks, sitting down on the couch and leaning back ever so slightly against the pillows. “Sure do,” Ross says, throwing the towel in his room and jogging down the hall to stand at Barry’s side. “How do you even know?” Dan teases, and Ross sticks his tongue out. Barry rolls his eyes and nudges the blue-eyed male, which makes him grin bashfully at Barry.

If Ross was being super honest, he really liked Barry. He was sweet, and a good sense of humor, and had a caring nature. He was also really, _really_ good-looking. For some reason, dark hair and a beard and ocean-blue eyes made Ross’s heart beat a mile per minute, and he was perfectly fine with that.

“Let’s do this,” Dan breathes, before carefully crawling his way into the painting. After waiting a few seconds, Ross takes a running leap into the painting, nearly hitting his head on the frame, making Barry laugh. “Good luck,” he hears Brian call, and he walks through the painting, limbs jittery with excitement and nervousness.

\+   +

“It really is beautiful,” Ross comments, looking around. A few sandwiches had spilled out of Dan’s backpack when he’d walked through, so he made quick work of picking them up while Ross and Barry look around the elegantly painted world. 

“Right?” The songwriter grins, zipping his bag shut and going to stand beside them. It was breathtaking every time you looked at it, trees green and skies blue and sun a warm white and yellow. “Is this the path?” Barry asks, pointing to the beaten dirt which supposedly lead to the village. “Yes indeedy,” Dan giggles, and Barry and Ross smile at him before they continue on their journey.

“Hey, these really were the flowers!” Barry exclaims, pointing at the small pink flowers dotting the painted ground. “I didn’t lie,” Dan snorts, and Barry chuckles, before picking one up and tucking it behind his ear. Ross looks away, face turning red at how absolutely perfect the bearded man was. He hadn’t been smitten like this in a while and he was enjoying it.

Barry didn’t know why Ross had gotten so red so quickly, but he was content with gazing at the Australian with a mildly confused look on his face. He wasn’t used to the giddy feelings of a crush, but he loved them.

Dan smiles to himself at the other two’s antics, seeing Ross’s blush and Barry’s confused but adoring look. _They would be cute together,_ he ponders, before pointing at the village in the distance. “There it is!” he shouts, and Ross cranes his neck to spot the tiny town. “Oh, sweet!” he says, smiling, and giving Dan a thumbs up. Barry laughs at the other two, but his gaze travels to the village.

The people in the fields flee to their homes when they see Dan, Barry, and Ross coming over the hill to their village.

When they arrive at the front of the village, there’s a billboard with a man in front of it, sipping on a mug of coffee and sitting on a barrel. “Hello!” Dan says, smile friendly and gracious. The man takes a liking to him immediately. “Hey there yourself,” he smiles back. The man has clipped but slightly overgrown black hair and a soft stubble, and Ross recognizes him immediately, but only looks away and shoves his hands in his pockets.

“My name’s Dan, and I’m looking for a man named Arin Hanson,” he says, and a shadow crosses over the other man’s face. He pulls his hat down a little further. “I can’t tell you anything about him, capiche? Anything else you want?” His tone delves into hostile, and Dan backs away. “No, sir. Thank you,” and with that, the trio goes around the town plaza and into the village.

They try knocking on a few doors, but all the curtains are drawn and no one seems to be answering. Finally, they knock on a door to which a woman with fiery red hair opens the door. “You’re here,” she whispers. “I’m looking for Arin Hanson,” Dan nearly pleads, and her eyes are coated in pity. “I cannot tell you anything but I know a woman who can,” she says.

“There’s a flower shop near the peach orchard, run by that woman. Mention Arin Hanson and she’ll be all over you,” she explains, and Barry thanks her profusely, as the other two have already run off.

“Rude,” Barry says, grinning, and the other two stick their tongues out. They slow down to a walk when the flower shop comes into view. It’s a cute place, painting a mint green with a darker green roof and red flowers painted on the walls. When they walk in, a little bell above the door chimes.

A woman, decorated with long black hair with a blonde streak and soft blue eyes looks up from a bushel of roses. “Hello there,” she murmurs, dusting off her apron and sweeping the hair from her eyes,

  
“My name’s Suzy Berhow. Can I help you?”


	6. peaches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya pals!! my my. i was nearly hospitalized this weekend,,,,, so that was fun. hope you like this anyway!! lol

“You’re the woman in the painting,” Dan blurts, brown eyes wide and eyebrows raised. Ross mutters a small “really?” and Barry looks out the window, tapping his fingers on his now crossed arms.

She looks at Dan, eyes traveling over his lanky frame. Down, up, down, and then up again and Dan feels like he’s being read like a book. She then gives him a small smile and holds out her hand. “I am,” she says, “and you’re the man in the sketch, aren’t you?”  
Dan shakes her hand, and tension slowly unfurls from his shoulders because her eyes and her frame and her smile are so, _so_ warm. “I am,” he mimics, and she giggles. “Why are you here?” she then asks, tucking her hair behind an ear and tilting her head to take a look at Barry and Ross.

“Wait, you’re Arin’s friend,” she says, pointing at the Australian before inhaling quickly. “You didn’t hear me say that,” she says, blue eyes darting around the flower shop.   
“What, Arin?” Ross asks, and Suzy looks like she’s going to punch him in the face. “Yes, that,” she hisses, and Ross holds his hands out like she’s going to bite him. “Sorry,” he squeaks, and she backs away, going behind the counter but still glaring daggers at the animator.

She pulls out a few stools, inviting Barry and Dan to sit on them. “You can stand,” she says to Ross, lips quirked and the man rolls his eyes but obeys, shifting his weight on another leg and crossing his arms.

“What is your name?” she asks Dan, and he responds just as quiet, making her smile again. Barry then introduces himself, and then Ross. “And now, what are you doing here?” Suzy questions again, situating herself on the stool and gazing at Dan brightly.

“We, uh, we’re looking for him,” he says quietly. Suzy looks away and nods. “I thought so. We’ve been waiting for a time like this. We always knew you were coming, just not this soon,” she says, and Dan looks down. 

“Sorry?” Barry chimes and Suzy laughs. “Don’t apologize! There are some who are miserable here,” she says, looking out the window to the peach orchard which lay just beyond the shop.

“Anyway,” she says, making eye contact with Dan again, “what do you want to know?” she asks, and Dan pauses for a moment. “How did this whole place get here?” he then inquires, and Suzy nods her head.

“I don’t really know,” she says, “but once the first painting was created, this entire world kind of… appeared. There were homes and gardens and mountains and valleys and everyone who was painted came to life here. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t intentional,” she says, gesturing all the while. 

Dan nods because there’s really nothing else he can add onto that. “Why is the townsfolk so wary to talk about,” he lowers his voice down to a whisper, “Arin?” Suzy exhales, crossing her legs. “They are because of the shadows.”

Dan stares at her, brown eyes sharpening. “Because of the what?” he asks. “The shadows,” Suzy repeats, going to the counter and retrieving an old photo. The three boys suck in a breath when they see the photo, ripped around the edges but sending the message across all the same. 

It’s foggy, but the fog was dark, like smoke. The town was covered in it, and it hung low, hazy and distant. Doors were shut and curtains were drawn, just like they were when Dan, Barry, and Ross came into town.

“These,” Suzy continues, “are the shadows. Right after Arin sketched you, they took him, took his body,” her voice starts to shake, “and said to never let anyone who looked like you into the town. Clearly, they forgot, or they were too busy fearing for newcomers that they didn’t fight you.” 

“Oh my god,” Barry says, staring wide-eyed. Dan suddenly feels a pang in his chest because  _ he forced Barry to do this.  _ Barry had said no, Barry had said this was dangerous and here they were, about to face literal nightmares because Dan wanted to investigate.

“I’m so sorry,” Dan whispers, placing a hand on Barry’s shoulder, and Barry looks at him, eyes gentle. “It’s okay,” he responds, looking back down, and Dan leans to place his head on Barry’s neck for a moment before lifting it back up and stepping away.

“The shadows are powerful,” Suzy warns, “and they haunt the place where Arin resides. Sadly, I cannot tell you where he is,” Dan’s face falls, and Suzy giggles a little at his reaction, “but I know someone who can.”

They all perk up, and Suzy tries to contain her laughter. “You guys are so animated,” she laughs. “Anyway, she runs the peach orchard,” she says, and Barry helps her place the stools back under the counter. “Come with me,” and she opens the door, the bell jingling as they all step back outside.

 

  * \+   +



 

The peach orchard is neat beyond compare.

The trees are perfectly aligned, each of them reaching for sunlight, and birds sing within the branches. The peaches that grow on them all look ripe and for the taking, and Ross feels his mouth water. 

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Suzy murmurs, black hair glistening in the sunlight and Dan can’t help but think how gorgeous she is. There’s a small, sunset pink-orange painted home at the far side of the orchard, and there’s a young woman pedaling a sewing machine on the grass nearby.

She has faded bubblegum pink hair and soft grey eyes. She’s wearing a brimmed brown farmer’s hat, and has on a worn yellow tank top and ripped jeans. She radiates pastel and Dan loves it.

Ross, on the other hand, stops dead.

“Ross?” Suzy asks, noticing the Australian’s halt, “are you okay?” Ross is staring at the pink-haired woman, hands trembling, and swallows hard. “Holly?” he finally calls out, and the woman looks up.

She then brings a hand to her mouth and lets out a small sob, her foot stopping on the pedal and her hands' stilling. “Ross?” she nearly shouts, and as Ross nods, she leaps up and runs towards him before enveloping him in her arms.

“Holly, Holly, Holly,” Ross says, voice watery and he buries his face into her shoulder. She giggles, and ruffles his hair and Dan and Barry break out into huge grins. Ross and Holly smile at each other before Holly lets him go, before she smiles at him, and releases her grip on his arm.

“How did you all get here? How… what?” Holly says as she wipes the tears from her cheeks. The trio looks at each other before they all face the two women. “It’s a long story,” Dan laughs, and Holly laughs too. “I have time,” she offers, but Suzy shakes her head. “I’m afraid they don’t.”   


  * \+   +



 

After Holly drags them in and gives them a snack, they all sit down and figure out what they have to do next.

“So you’re looking for Arin,” Holly says, skinning a peach by the kitchen sink and placing it in a basket, “I know where he is.” Dan turns in his chair near the dining table, and Barry laughs at his enthusiasm. 

“Do you have food and things?” Holly asks, putting the peaches away in a cupboard and then leaning against a counter. “We do,” Dan says quickly, standing up and grabbing his backpack. “Whoa there, buddy,” Ross laughs. 

“Are you up to it, Holly?” Suzy asks suddenly, and Holly smiles sadly at the flower shop owner. “I hate to say it, but I am,” the pink-haired woman responds, and Suzy’s face grins, but her eyes fall. 

“Then you should go,” Suzy says softly, “they don’t have much time. You don’t have much time,” the black-haired woman says urgently, and Holly presses a small kiss to her cheek. “I love you,” Holly says gently, and Suzy smiles at her and replies just as soft.

“C’mon,” Holly says, leaning up and stretching her back. “Let’s get this show on the road!” Dan grins at Barry and Ross, which grin at him back. Though Ross’s smile looks pained, and Dan is about to ask what’s wrong when Holly taps him on the shoulder.

They all get up, and Dan hugs Suzy tightly. “Goodbye. I’ll see you soon,” she says and kisses him on the cheek. Ross nudges him, and his face goes beet red. “Bye, Suzy!” Barry calls, and they stroll out the door into the spring air.

“You see that valley?” Holly says, pointing over the peach orchard to the rolling green hills. The boys nod, and Ross makes a committal noise. 

“The mountains behind that? That’s where Arin is.”


	7. a bittersweet update, perhaps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya pals!! i'll explain everything below. hope you have a lovely day!!

heya pals.

it's me again!! wow, it's like i've been dead (and i nearly have been, haha). 

first things first, i'm not abandoning this story. i've put in time and effort into this, and i'm proud of it. life has been unexpectedly sucky right now, but i'm hoping to move forward. on that note;

i'm finishing this puppy, but not in the way you think.

i feel like i'm letting an immense amount of people down if i discontinue this (but who am i kidding; you probably don't care) and so i've decided to do an analysis on the next few chapters. it'll all be in chapter eight, by the way!!

i'd like to apologize first to writergrump. she's been so supportive of this work (heck, i made this work for you) and i feel terrible doing this. i appreciate you and your writing and your love for this story so,  _so_ much and i'm so sorry it has to end like this.

i'd also like to apologize to all the readers of this. i know this isn't the ending you had in mind (it certainly wasn't for me) and i'm sorry for doing this. crazy shit has happened over the past few weeks that i wouldn't like to get into, and i'm sorry about that too. you deserve a valid reason why, and that's something i cannot give you.

i hope you guys enjoy the lil overview of the next few chapters and ending. i'm so so sorry again.

i'll still be writing, but not as frequently. i love you all very much.

have a lovely day. 


	8. the analysis of the end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya pals!! hope you guys are havin a lovely day. enjoy this lil thing lol

**chapter seven :**

so this is where things start to get a little more tense. suzy knows that as soon as the others continue on their adventure, the shadows will take notice and come after the villagers, one by one. what the shadows do is they turn all the villagers they can get their hands on into their respective paintings, until the world goes blank. she doesn't tell the group this, as she doesn't want them to rush. holly, on the other hand, knows this as well and leads them across that gigantic valley as fast as she can without raising suspicion. 

holly and ross are on some rocky ground. while they're walking he confronts her about her relationship with suzy, and she says "i didn't know if i was asexual. i still don't." ross doesn't want to blame her, because labels suck and finding out where you fall sucks even harder, but he's still a little angry with her. 

in the end, they do have to set up camp near the end of the said valley. they didn't pack anything for building a fire or a tent, so they all lay down on the grass and talk about the nonexistent stars in the sky. ross pokes fun at dan, claiming that the curly-haired man has a crush on arin, and he doesn't exactly deny it. this ensues lots of teasing from barry and ross, and dan gets a lil flustered, the poor guy. holly just laughs along.

barry and ross have definitely gotten closer. when they all retire to sleep, they kinda curl their pinkies together and holly notices and smiles a little because ross is getting over her!! ross is falling in love with someone new and definitely cute!! she doesn't say anything, though, just turns on her side and misses the warmth of suzy. dan snores a lot, and barry shoves him, making them all laugh. they're scared of what's to come, but they're happy now.

**chapter eight :**

the next morning, they all wake up and continue on their trek. when doing so, they notice things start to get a little more creepy. like, there's bugs swarming on the ground and through the grass (much to barry's horror; he  _hates_ bugs) and the sky is starting to turn dark grey. when they couldn't get more worried, dan gets a call from brian (he's surprised he can even get cell service lmao) and he tells dan that the painting is starting to turn black. 

they all start panicking, but dan vowed not to leave without arin, so the group picks up their pace until they reach the mountains. holly's also worried about suzy, but they all reassure her that she'll be fine, even though they themselves aren't sure about that.

so they finally reach the gigantic mountain, and holly's like "this is it" and dan starts shaking uncontrollably. barry puts an arm around him to calm the lanky boy down, and they all venture inside.

**chapter nine *trigger warning - descriptions of self harm* :**

so when they go inside, it's super dark, so ross uses his phone flashlight to guide the way. there's tons of artwork on the walls, gorgeous artwork, but it's all dark red and they all get really unsettled. it's definitely plausible that arin killed himself, or had gone insane in the time he was isolated. they reach the end of the cave, and it's surprisingly well lit with makeshift candles and shit. there's a figure painting on the wall, color exploding from said walls, and dan calls out a hesitant but strong "arin?"

the man whips around, and immediately starts to cry. he's much more gorgeous in real life than in a painting, and that's saying something, dan thinks. he walks over to the group, and looks dan and barry up and down before giving ross and holly teary hugs. he introduces himself to barry, who smiles gently at him, and when arin reaches dan, he kisses him on the mouth. hard.

dan feels butterflies erupt in his stomach, and kisses back with the same amount of force. he's so happy arin's alive and okay. they smile against each other's lips and it's really sweet!! and gay!! let them be happy!!

they all sit him down and give him sandwiches and water and he starts to cry again because he's finally surrounded by other living humans again. he starts to tell his story, and explains how that right after he’d finished drawing the man who looked like dan, he’d noticed an unfinished painting of his, and did a messing painting of himself in the painting before he was taken into this world. it was unintentional, but the people were kind and the world peaceful. then, the shadows came and took arin to the mountain, telling the townsfolk to be wary of anyone who entered the world or they would be turned back into paintings. though he was given food and water and shelter, he was constantly isolated and almost driven to the point of insanity. every time he tried to leave, they would drive him back and he’d cut his wrists and paint with his blood. it was a gruesome tale, and he was glad dan and his friends had found him. he agrees to come back with them, and they leave, hoping to not be noticed. the shadows do, though.

**chapter ten :**

the shadows are dark and enveloping, and the group immediately slows down. barry, noticing this, stays behind and forces them to go on, leaving him to supposedly die. ross is completely stricken with grief and before the shadows can catch up, runs back and kisses barry quickly. barry and ross cry a little before barry kisses ross again and urges him to go on, smiling at him and leaving ross’s heart aching as he runs. he cries harder when he hears barry’s scream. 

arin feels fucking horrible, because barry just killed himself for their safety and it’s his fault. instead, dan just cries and takes arin’s hand, saying they couldn’t worry about that right now. ross feels his chest squeeze, but knows that dan has his own way of coping and doesn’t say anything. holly gives him a broken but hopeful look, but it doesn’t make him feel any better. even though the group’s lungs burn and their legs feel like jelly they continue on, not stopping when day turns to night until they reach the town. 

since it was so dark, they didn’t realize ross had turned back halfway. holly’s absolutely devastated. the chapter ends with them in the town, suzy taking them in and all of them realizing that barry and ross were gone.

**chapter eleven :**

little do they know, ross had actually found barry half-dead, and was frantically carrying him across the valley. barry was bleeding from his side, though the gash wasn’t that bad, but he was coughing up blood and was too weak to walk. ross was whispering words of encouragement, “we’re almost there,” “you’re doing so good” and “just hold tight a little longer, bear.” barry was managing to stay conscious. 

ross bursts into town, and demands the townsfolk direct him to suzy’s home. he runs in, to everyone’s shock and delight, and suzy helps ross get barry situated and his wound dressed. ross helps clean barry up, and he’s fallen asleep, stopping the coughing if only for a little while. they all give ross a big hug, and they all cry some more, thankful that the two are still alive. 

suzy regretfully informs them that the townsfolk are starting to turn into paintings and that they have to leave very soon. arin and holly are upset that they have to leave suzy, and suzy gives holly a warm kiss and arin a tight squeeze before she assures them they will meet again. dan starts to cry, hugging her tightly, and ross gives her a short but warm hug and tears on her neck. he carries the still-sleeping barry, and they leave, suzy escorting them back.

~~~~**chapter twelve :**

when they reach the frame, they all go into a tight group hug, laughing about how barry was cradled so nicely in ross’s arms as they held each other. they’d all grown so close, and dan called brian so the art critic who’d saved their lives could join in. though they weren’t all close to brian they still hugged the phone too, making the older man smile. as they broke away, to arin’s horror, suzy looked away to a flower bed as her and the landscape turned into a beautiful painting. 

they were all crying as they left, and they piled onto the couch, wondering what the hell happened. brian offers to drive ross and barry to a hospital, which leaves dan, arin and holly alone. she smiles softly, getting up to make some real turkey sandwiches with juice boxes. arin thanks dan for everything, and dan grins at him, asking him if they could kiss again. 

arin nods and grins, leaning in and pressing a warm kiss to dan’s mouth. he asks if dan wanted to try and be with him, and dan says yes, kissing him fiercely and raking his fingers through the long and matted hair. arin sighs happily, melting into dan, and it seems like everything is okay. the void suzy left is everlasting, but they can grieve. happiness is what suzy wanted for all of them. the chapter ends with ross and brian coming back, announcing that barry would need time to heal but he was stable, and delicious turkey sandwiches courtesy of holly.

**chapter thirteen :**

it’s six months in the future. the passing of suzy has come and gone, and barry has fully healed. it turns out brian paid for the medical bills, insisting it was the least he could do. barry and ross are officially a couple, the same for dan and arin, and brian is married. holly identifies as ace, until she bumps into a nice woman who runs a cute farmer’s market named susanna. 

susanna uses the nickname suzy!! holly’s absolutely smitten, and comments on the apples that suzy’s holding, but suzy thinks she’s talking about her breasts and they both giggle. holly asks her out for coffee, and the gang freaks out because SHE LOOKS THE SAME AS SUZY AND ACTS THE SAME AS SUZY AAAAA. anyhow!! the coffee date goes super nicely and they're all happy and okay for the time being.

arin still has ptsd, and barry's kind of self conscious about his scar (ross kisses it every. single. night and makes barry laugh because no ross!! he's ticklish there!!) but dan is so gentle. and sweet. and kind. and he loves to hold arin and kiss his forehead (and lips tbh) and he's a great boyf

let!! these!! people!! be!! happy!!

xo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
